First Show Not So Great

[simmonds]

Did my fist show Saturday after telling myself I would never do one. It was NOT GOOD! My wife signed me up for it with only a week notice and I had ZERO stock. I spent the week prior at the forge for at least 10 hours a day pounding out door knockers, dinner bells, bottle openers, steak turners, candle holders, S hooks, trammels, cowboy cook sets, campfire triangles (fire irons) and other small items right till about midnight the night before the show...my hand is still going numb as I type this 3 days later! I even finished one garden gate I had started a few months back. It started raining Friday night just after I painted some of the items and I had to rush to get the items inside where hopefully they would be dry in the morning...they were not. Lots of delays that morning and ended up getting to the show several hours late. The rain was not expected this time in July and we had to stop and buy a 10' canopy on the way. Quickly paid the $50 dollar space fee and got set up. Didnt sell a single thing! We were told it really slowed down by the time we arrived and sales were good earlier. Oh well. Believe it or not I still had an OK time and made some good contacts. Even got an invitation to work (volunteer) in the Blacksmith shop at Fort Vancouver. Lots of people seemed genuinely interested in items, took cards, asked prices especially on the campfire cooksets and items but gave that blank look, said thanks and walked away. Is $45 dollars too much for a camp tripod that comes with a hand crafted draw-string canvas carry bag? I got to pay for my time, coal, gas, steel etc. and cant see lowering the prices any more. Maybe it was just the wrong place at the wrong time and the wrong customers. Thanks for letting me vent. If you have any suggestions or words of encouragement I would be grateful.
Chris.

[tagkver]

I would charge more, if it ain't selling try going up on price before going down nine times out of ten it works !

[CurlyGeorge]

Hey Chris. Don't get too discouraged. Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you. I too have had demos that were total flops. Or so I thought. Then, someone that saw me there and got one of my cards calls and places an order. If this was your first show, you learned some things that you can put to use on future shows/demos. You got a tarp, now, and I am assuming, that you will use it as a tent/fly for shelter in the future. All was not lost. Sounds like you had a good amount of items in stock. Next show, you won't have to make up as much because you already have it in stock. Don't give up. You will make a come back. :D

[CurlyGeorge]

Oh yeah. I don't think that the price on the tripod was too high. If anything, I too would go up a bit. My 2 cents. :D

[KYBOY]

Thats just the way it goes sometimes..My family has done craft shows for years. Most of my family are woodworkers and folk artists..Lisa does the same fairs now but of course with ironwork. She usually does pretty good but you never know. Year before last she sold hooks buy the droves, came home at 10:00PM and worked til 1:00am making more..Next year had boxes full of hooks made and sold a maybe a half dozen but couldent keep tri-pods and dinner bells..Same thing, came home at 10:00pm after the festival and worked til 1:00am making more..Same folks for the most part but they get on something different every year.

[DennisG]

I just finished a demo this past sunday, sold all my plant hangers from my spring show, plus had to make another at the show, this is mid july, plants are already up, go figure. I also sold a hanger extension I have had out at shows since last spring. Some things you will sit on some you won't. I am not a bit one for pounding the night before a demo, I want to be rested. But it seems that up here at shows we Blacksmith on site during the time, where people in the states just show/sell not actually do infront of the crowd. Most of what me and the other smith had out was sold. I think the crowds mood and fancy play alot into it.

[FireCat]

Dont worry ......could be worse ya could be here in california were if your not making tofu or something politicaly correct/enviromentaly safe/child freindly/ethinically diverse..well then there not intrested.............

[chyancarrek]

Sounds like you got dropped into it with little notice and busting tail right up until gate time isn't the best for setting a positive mood along with all the other hiccups- not the ideal formula for building enthusiasm. Especially if you already had a bias against doing shows.

Shows/demos/markets etc. are hit and miss by nature and if you're not an established presence, sometimes that can be yet another strike against doing some sales- put one in the experience column and press on.

Where was the show located? You mention Ft Vancouver so I'm assuming you're in the NW Oregon/SW Washington area? This "Year w/o Summer" up here has really put a damper on lots of activities!

[ThomasPowers]

Shows are just weird. I once made up some items I thought would be just right for the venue, none sold the first year, none sold the second year. wasn't going to bring them the third year but I was short on inventory so I included them, thought about lowering the price but before I could get around to it they sold out! (and they were some of the most expensive things I had brought!)

I will say that if you make a bunch of something it's often best to only have a couple on display and replace them as they sell; hard to sell the hand forged uniqueness of something if you have 2 gross of them on display.

Also having a custom trinket that is associated with you year after year can be good as folks come in hunting them after seeing their friends with them...

[simmonds]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I am feeling a little better now about the show and will be doing it again, only this time I will be more prepared. This show was in a little town called Brownsville (where Stand By Me was filmed) just northeast of Eugene about 25 miles or so. Nice little town for sure. The art show only had about 10 other vendors all set up around an old 1800's historic home just off the main drag through town. The city was also having the yearly city wide garage sales so there were LOTS of people walking through town. Too bad I got there and set up so late just as the masses were slowing down. The other vendors mostly seemed to be selling handmade jewelry and furniture and the like. Nothing to great or fancy. The guy next to me, a tree trimmer by trade, was selling what looked like large nest baskets woven out of tree branch trimming he gets free from work. His price was fairly cheap but I guess he sold dozens of these "things" throughout the day...did pretty darn good. Not the best venue but I may have done alright if I had been more prepared and more rested and on time. I will be doing shows with this group on the McKenzie river once a month at an old Grange hall in Walterville where I was told they get lots of people and I can demo at this site as well. She also said I can have as much space as I want and will be able to pull up my truck right to the site. She says they have a great time at the location and cook up some good food as well in the Grange and all the vendors eat for free! Sounds nicer than this last location and I will surely give it a try.

Neil, I am located in Fall Creek just southeast of Springfield, Oregon. I was invited by a man, Bob Sorkin, to come on up to Fort Vancouver and do some work in the Blacksmith shop...volunteer work of course. I think it would be fun and maybe I could learn some stuff as well. I have never had the opportunity to work with other Smiths. BTW, have you ever tried the coal out of Central fuel in Chehalis/Centralia? The stuff from Utah? I am about out of coal and my supplier, although really good coal is up to about 30 bucks for a 50 pound bag. Up in Chehalis I can get a ton for 240 dollars...quite the difference.

Thanks again everyone. I will keep you all posted on the next show I do.

Chris.

[mike-hr]

I'm in KFalls, 3-1/2 hrs south of you, I'm booked pretty solid till september, but I would be happy to get the local guys in a pile and invite you for a weekend of smithing in my shop. 3 or 4 guys working and sharing ideas towards a common goal is often a better learning avenue than taking a paying class. I wouldn't worry about the craft fair too much, I do public shows around here, sometimes I don't sell much, but somebody that grabbed a card will want a whole lot of work for the new kitchen this fall, etc. You make a better impression if you can bring a forge and work a bit during the show. Folks realize that you're not just a guy who buys stuff from a catalogue and re-sells. Be very afraid of Utah coal, my experience hasn't been good. the stuff I got won't coke at all, is quite sulfury, and goes out when you let off the blast. I reluctantly go to monroe and buy the elkhorn for too much money, I figure I can count on it to perform, and I can usually make $200-300 of product from a bag.

[simmonds]

Mike, that would be great to get together down there in KFalls. Maybe a Fall or early winter mini Hammer-in/open forge at your place... There are lots of things I need to learn and improve upon and seeing some other smiths and their techniques would be great!

Yeah, I get my coal from John Turkington in Monroe as well. Great coal for sure but I have to do better on the price. My wife wants me to buy a truck load from the same Cumberlan Elkhorn supply John gets his from so I have a massive supply not only for use but for sale as well. Maybe forming a club with as many Smith members in southern Oregon as possible and going in on a truck load for club members to use would be an idea?

I thought of driving up to Chehalis for a ton of Utah coal, stopping on the way back down in Monroe for several bags of the Elkhorn coal. That way when forging for long periods, you could burn 90% Utah and a little Elkhorn at the heart of the fire to coke up and keep the fire going. Would the Utah coal you used go out within seconds of cutting the blast or was it just if you stopped for long enough to prepare for the next project or something (say 10 minutes or so)?